The New England Patriots made a series of roster moves Wednesday, bolstering their receiving corps and defensive line while losing one of their starting offensive linemen for the season.

Marcus Cannon, the Patriots’ starting right tackle, was placed on injured reserve. He started seven of New England’s first eight games this season before suffering an ankle injury that forced him to miss the past five.

The Patriots signed wide receiver Kenny Britt and re-signed defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois. Britt, 29, was released by the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 8 after nine games in which he caught 18 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Britt was a first-round pick out of Rutgers by Tennessee in 2009. He also played for the then-St. Louis Rams. In 113 career games, he has 327 catches for 5,114 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Jean Francois, 31, played three games for the Patriots earlier this year before he was released on Dec. 2. He began the season with the Green Bay Packers, who released him on Nov. 1. The 6-3, 313-pound Jean Francois was a seventh-round pick out of Louisiana State in 2009 by San Francisco.

To make room for Britt and Jean Francois, the Patriots released linebacker Jonathan Freeny, who signed with them on Dec. 6 and made two tackles in Monday’s loss at Miami, and wide receiver Bernard Reedy, who was promoted off the practice squad on Dec. 2 and played in two games.

RAMS: Veteran wide receiver Robert Woods plans to return from a three-game absence Sunday at Seattle. Woods has been sidelined by a shoulder injury since getting hurt in a loss to Minnesota on Nov. 19. The USC product was the Rams’ leading receiver at the time with 47 catches for 703 yards.

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WASHINGTON: The team decided to shut down Jordan Reed, putting the tight end on season-ending injured reserve. Reed has missed the past six games with a strained right hamstring.

BILLS: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor will get a majority of work in practice to test his bruised left knee, putting him in a position to start against Miami on Sunday.

Coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that Taylor continues to make progress in recovering from an injury that prevented him from playing in a 13-7 overtime win over Indianapolis last weekend. McDermott said rookie Nathan Peterman will practice on a limited basis, but remains in the concussion protocol after he was hurt in the third quarter against the Colts.

COMMISSIONER ROGER Goodell views the agreement reached on an extension last week as his final contract overseeing the NFL, a league spokesman said Wednesday.

Goodell’s extension through 2024 will allow him to help negotiate a new labor deal when the current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2021, and have a hand in talks over new broadcast contracts, spokesman Joe Lockhart said when announcing details of the deal signed last week.

“The commissioner I think has been clear that he views this as his last contract and will allow him to deal with some of the important issues that we know are on the horizon,” Lockhart said.


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